How the Knicks Can Improve After Their Season Opener?

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Although the New York Knicks lost their Season opener Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, the game came down to the wire and they almost had an upset against one of the best teams in the NBA. Even with the loss this game is a good sign for the New York Knicks. A lot of what they did was right on par for what made them so successful last year. The Knicks were known last season to be one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league, which is one of the main reasons why their offense was so effective, even with below average shooting. In the season opener the Knicks were right where they left off as they finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds compared to the Celtics’ 7. The play of both RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley was also a huge plus for the Knicks. If those two can play like they did last night consistently, then the Knicks will absolutely be one of the best teams in the East.

One of the biggest struggles for the Knicks was the play of both Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Brunson shot 28% from the field and Julius Randle shot 23% from the field. This is simply just not a recipe for winning. Luckily for the Knicks these two are all-star quality players and both will almost certainly step up as the season goes along. Along with these two playing at a higher level, another thing that the Knicks can do to improve is taking more 3 pointers. The Knicks shot 37% from the field for the game, but they shot 44% from three. The Knicks started the game continuing to take two point shots when there were many good looks from three they could have taken. Increasing the volume of threes taken has been something the Knicks have needed to do for a while and should be a big focal point for Tom Thibodeau. If the Knicks improve on these two things it will lead to more success in the future especially if they continue to show success from their role players and their offensive rebounding.